154 soldiers return home from Iraq

Sitting in a church pew wearing a U.S. Navy cap and a look of relief, veteran Kenneth Fink waited for his grandson.

Fink, 70, is a veteran of the Navy. His grandson, Sgt. 1st Class Curtiss Bannworth, 27, returned home to Ohio today after spending a year in Iraq.

Fink and other veterans who attended the 1 p.m. ceremony at World Harvest Church said it was fitting to welcome home the young veterans of an Ohio Army National Guard unit on Memorial Day.

The 154 men and women are part of the 1192nd Engineer Company of the 16th Engineer Brigade, which is based in Columbus.

They spent their time in Iraq in the Baghdad area, building roads and fortifications for bases to protect their fellow soldiers. They did not come under enemy fire, but it was always a possibility.

"We look forward to it for a year," Fink said of the homecoming. The family lives in Willard, north of Mansfield.

The buses carrying Bannworth and the other soldiers arrived about noontime. A crowd of hundreds was waiting outside the church, whooping and waving signs. Young mothers held babies dressed in red, white and blue, and middle-aged parents gripped one another in anticipation.

The men and women were rushed, one by one, as they left the buses. Some loved ones hugged and cried while others took video of the moment.

During the ceremony, a group of politicians and their representatives offered words of gratitude, acknowledging that the soldiers would probably like to get home more than anything.

Coming home on Memorial Day is extra-special, said Spc. Amanda Adamson, 26, of Struthers, near Youngstown.

"We represent a long history of war and peace," she said. "It gives you a greater sense of pride to wear the uniform."